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| Renee Reynes led the Dolphins with 392 total digs in 2008. |
Two time defending Skyline Champion Sage was picked as the favorite in 2009 after completing its second straight perfect conference regular season in 2008. Over the past two seasons, the Gators have not dropped a league match, posting a perfect 22-0 record against Skyline opponents. Sage earned 78 points in the poll and six of the 10 first place votes.
NYU-POLY and St. Joseph’s-L.I. were picked to finish second and third respectively in the poll. The Blue Jays return the past two Skyline Rookie of the Year winners and earned 72 points, while St. Joseph’s received 65 points. Each school also posted a pair of first place votes. The rest of the top half of the league includes Mount Saint Mary in fourth with 54 points and Bard in fifth with 53 points.
Rounding out the field in the 2009 preseason poll will be the Dolphins in sixth with their 38 points, Old Westbury in seventh with 36 points, Farmingdale St. in eighth with 28 points, Purchase in ninth place with 17 points and Maritime in tenth place with nine tallies.
Mount Saint Vincent posted an 11-9 overall record and a 3-6 mark in league play under first year head coach Rosanna Falcher a season ago. Lisa O’Shea (White Plains, N.Y.) and Jessica Williams (Cornwall, N.Y.) are the top two returnees in kills for the Mount, posting 118 and 116 last season respectively. Sophomore Renee Reynes (Bronx, N.Y.) led the Dolphins with 5.60 digs per set in her rookie campaign a season ago.
The Dolphins will open the 2009 slate on Tuesday, September 1 when they host Yeshiva at Hayes Gymnasium. The season opener is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m.
2009 Skyline Women’s Volleyball Preseason Poll
1. Sage, 78 (6)
2. NYU-POLY, 72, (2)
3. St. Joseph’s-L.I., 65 (2)
4. Mount Saint Mary, 54
5. Bard, 53
6. Mount Saint Vincent, 38
7. Old Westbury, 36
8. Farmingdale State, 28
9. Purchase, 17
10. Maritime, 9
